Echoes of the Reverse Planet

Chapter 5: Supernatural Ability

Kiiing—

As if responding to the researcher’s words, two red lights flashed in the Etinel’s head area. It looked like a sleeping killing machine had opened its eyes.

In reality, it was merely the main sensor activating as it transitioned to combat mode, but that’s how it looked from the outside.

Soon, the Etinel captured Baek Woohyun, set as the enemy, with its red main sensor.

“……”

In the chilling atmosphere where combat could begin at any moment.

Baek Woohyun looked at the Etinel impassively. Without any preparation. It even seemed as if he’d given up on fighting back.

However, there was a reason for his attitude. A solid reason based on the experience he’d directly undergone in the past.

‘It should come out soon.’

Indeed, just as Baek Woohyun expected, before the Etinel could even show movement, the surroundings were dyed gray and time stopped.

What appeared before him next was the system window he’d seen before.

[Proceeding with supernatural ability initial settings]

[Please select your first supernatural ability Core Element]

*[Supernatural ability Core Elements are characteristics that form the foundation of supernatural abilities. Your supernatural ability will grow based on this element. Reconfiguration is possible at any time]

To understand the system message, one first needed to know Reverse Planet’s supernatural ability system.

Reverse Planet’s supernatural ability system was designed to grow by extending branches centered around ‘Core Elements.’

For example, if you wanted a supernatural ability to fight with flames, you would first select the Core Element called [Red Ruby Heart] that could create flames, then strengthen it with various sub-elements.

Then, as you steadily strengthened the Core Element, an opportunity to select a Core Element would come again, at which point you would select a different Core Element according to the supernatural ability’s growth direction and strengthen that with sub-elements again—

Users usually called the supernatural ability configuration diagram densely composed of Core Elements and various elements a ‘build.’

Because not only the quantity of Core Elements but also the sub-elements were tremendously vast, the value of a well-constructed build in Reverse Planet was considerable.

In pro leagues, there were even builders who specialized only in composing builds, and pros’ builds were guarded with ironclad security.

Generally, no matter how well you constructed a build, there were inevitably parts you had to give up, and those parts could usually be exploited as weaknesses.

……Though that was quite a distant story from Baek Woohyun, who had only used supernatural abilities—abilities that could be called such—in reality.

‘Here it is.’

Baek Woohyun, who had been scrolling through a list filled with numerous Core Elements, soon discovered the Core Element he’d been looking for.

The Core Element that made him grow not into a normal awakener, but into a monster with the title ‘Superhuman,’ [Perfect Being].

[Core Element – “Perfect Being”]

[First Effect: Cannot use supernatural ability skills]

[Second Effect: Physical abilities increase very greatly. Additional increase according to level]

[Third Effect: Supernatural ability resistance increases very greatly. Additional increase according to level]

If they were users who had played Reverse Planet, they would have been bewildered the moment they read the first effect of [Perfect Being].

All combat in Reverse Planet was based on supernatural ability skills derived from Core Elements, yet the very first effect flatly stated you couldn’t use them, so they couldn’t help it.

Wasn’t it an effect practically close to a penalty?

Of course, as compensation for that, it was written that physical abilities and supernatural ability resistance greatly increased. Additionally, that they increased further according to level.

It was content about what’s called a growth-type effect, but even so, the fact that you had to face enemies using supernatural abilities with your bare body without any supernatural ability didn’t change.

It meant it was the same as charging at an opponent holding a gun while only trusting your strong body.

A Core Element that no one in their right mind would choose.

In reality, among users, [Perfect Being] was considered a representative dud element.

Because the advantage of increased physical abilities and supernatural ability resistance—even with additional increases according to level!—was far too insufficient to erase the huge disadvantage of being unable to use supernatural ability skills.

[You have selected Core Element – “Perfect Being”]

Nevertheless, the reason Baek Woohyun chose this was simple.

Because the Reverse Planet he’d experienced was a story in reality, and there was no such thing as combat assistance there.

Handling a supernatural ability was like moving a third hand that suddenly appeared at will.

Did it seem easy without any help?

Of course not.

Baek Woohyun had seen many awakened Test Subjects die because they couldn’t properly handle their supernatural abilities.

So he’d made the decision to give up supernatural abilities entirely.

It meant that rather than learning the sense of handling supernatural abilities in a situation where he could die in the very next experiment, he sought survival with strong physical abilities instead.

Such a decision ultimately made him a ‘Superhuman’ and led to him being called Project: Transcendence’s most perfect success.

Swish, taat!

The moment after stopped time began to flow again.

The Etinel that had been standing still crouched down low, then kicked off the ground hard and rushed at Baek Woohyun.

A sudden charge that began without any warning!

But Baek Woohyun wasn’t flustered.

Because this too was something he’d already expected.

He glared at the Etinel closing the distance with coldly sunken eyes.

At some point, his pupils had changed to inverted eyes—eyes with the black and white parts reversed.

It was proof of the Core Element [Perfect Being].

‘As expected, whether there or here.’

Baek Woohyun, who strode forward to meet it, immediately twisted his body.

The Etinel’s fist, loaded with heavy force, grazed his chest leaving a paper-thin gap.

A precarious dodge that was close enough to feel tingling pain!

What he gained as compensation for risking the danger of a direct hit was an opportunity to counterattack.

Pueok!

The Etinel, kicked in the back of the knee, swayed greatly.

Baek Woohyun’s eyes gleamed as he stretched out his right hand and grabbed the Etinel’s defenseless exposed neck.

In a situation where the surprise attack had missed and even one knee was bent touching the ground, there was nothing the Etinel could do in response.

It merely looked up at the reaper gripping its lifeline with its red glowing main sensor.

Kwadeuk.

‘Researchers consistently only do unpleasant things.’

Baek Woohyun tore off the Etinel’s neck area.

Entirely calmly, with an attitude that this was naturally what should be done.

Amid pieces of pure white shell flying up, wires still crackling with electricity and mechanical devices poured down onto the floor with a clatter.

The physical abilities strengthened by [Perfect Being] far surpassed those of ordinary awakeners, so tearing apart a lump of metal wasn’t particularly difficult.

Moreover, this was also the limit of the early version Etinel. If it had been upgraded just a few more times, it couldn’t have been destroyed with merely this much strength.

The combat AI was just as inferior as its basic performance. It was pointlessly honest and slow to respond.

To Baek Woohyun, who had even faced completed Etinels, the early version Etinel was merely a ridiculous small fry. Not even worth being happy about victory.

Ki…ing…

Soon the Etinel, whose main sensor had stopped blinking, collapsed with a thud.

It was a perfect victory without a single wound.

It was also a completely different result from the past when he’d been beaten nearly to death.

Baek Woohyun, who threw the mechanical debris he’d been holding in his right hand onto the floor, clenched his fist tight.

Was it because it was a sensation he was feeling after quite a while?

Or was it because the specters, whose revenge had been achieved even a little as they’d wished, were rejoicing?

A ferocious desire boiled up from deep within his chest.

Pure murderous intent to tear everything to death.

“Huuu—”

Baek Woohyun exhaled lengthily to suppress it. It wasn’t yet time to release the monster inside him.

Not yet.

—……Experiment complete. Remarkable, Test Subject No. 48.

Perhaps it was an unexpected result—deep agitation was mixed in the researcher’s voice.

Well, it made sense, since a Test Subject who had just awakened a supernatural ability had torn off the Etinel’s neck in one go.

Though Baek Woohyun treated the early version Etinel as about toy level, originally Etinels were weapons that could easily tear ordinary awakeners to death.

They weren’t treated as equivalent to grim reapers by Test Subjects for nothing.

Since he’d torn apart such an Etinel outright, the researcher couldn’t help but be flustered.

—At this level, it’s incomparable even to the supernatural ability aptitude of ordinary Test Subjects.

Ordinary users generally met a very different result from Baek Woohyun in this battle.

The result of a miserable defeat.

It was natural if you thought about it.

After character creation, wasn’t it a situation where they were thrown straight into combat without any explanation about supernatural abilities?

It was practically the same as pushing them from behind to lose.

And in fact, that was the actual intention.

Even if they’d awakened, it was deliberately set up as a fight with the Etinel to show off that the research facility could easily smash it.

Users regarded this as a kind of initiation rite.

—Good. Then let’s start the next experiment…!

Kwagwang!

Cutting off the researcher’s words, a huge explosion sound suddenly echoed.

The explosion was so powerful that even the laboratory where Baek Woohyun was standing felt a faint tremor shaking the ground.

Immediately after, the red emergency lights installed inside the laboratory began blinking wildly while spitting out sounds saying “Emergency alert issued! Emergency alert issued!”

—Wha, what?! What’s happening?

The researcher, flustered by the sudden situation, seemed to have forgotten that the microphone was on.

Sounds of bustling movement came through the speaker. Along with other researchers’ shouts like “It’s an intrusion!”, “The government bastards—”.

Baek Woohyun, who had been listening quietly, soon realized what had happened.

During his suffering caught up in Project: Transcendence, the opportunity that would allow him to escape arrived at this very moment.

‘Research facility attack by Otherworld Management Bureau agents!’

Jijik, jijijijik—

—You, you bastards! How did you get here! Wai—, uaaaagh!

Noise that seemed to tear the ears and the researcher’s terrible scream.

And after a brief silence, what came through the speaker was a somehow familiar female voice.

—This message is for the wronged victims trapped in the research facility.

—We ask that you come outside with all your might right now.

—Please somehow join up with us.

Kwagwang—!

—If you wish to regain your freedom, you must not wait idly.

—Move, quickly!

Right after the woman declared in a resolute tone.

Kwagwagwagwang—!

An explosion far more massive than before occurred.

For a moment, Baek Woohyun felt the ground sink, and soon saw his vision dye pitch-black.

It was a blackout effect commonly used in virtual reality games to express situations where the player lost consciousness.

Since they couldn’t actually make you lose consciousness during a game, it meant temporarily taking away sight and bodily freedom to make you feel in a similar state.

As it was a familiar experience for anyone who had played virtual reality games to some extent, Baek Woohyun handled it skillfully.

Though even calling it handling, in the end waiting for the blackout effect to end was all there was, anyway.

‘Where… Good, I can move now.’

Baek Woohyun, who realized his senses had returned, quickly rose to his feet.

After the vision that had turned pitch-black cleared, the first thing that entered his eyes was the sight of the research facility’s interior miserably destroyed by the explosion.

Not only was it on fire here and there, but the ceiling, floor, and walls were collapsed or cracked everywhere, and from dangling wires, lightning intermittently crackled and sparked.

It was an appearance where one could immediately recognize that the research facility had suffered massive damage from the explosion just moments ago.

‘They said to come outside.’

If it were an ordinary player, they would have worried not knowing where ‘outside’ was and somehow searched for the way, but Baek Woohyun was different.

He knew the research facility’s internal geography very well.

He’d tried escaping once, gone back to examine it, and even directly destroyed the rebuilt facility, so he couldn’t help but know it in detail.

‘The research facility is built underground, so to go outside, I need to go up.’

Baek Woohyun looked around again to find the path going outside.

However, he soon realized there was no need for that, because except for one corridor, everything was either blocked with debris or had gaps too large to cross.

Since Reverse Planet was a game in the first place, unlike reality, it would have subtly marked the path forward like this.

‘Shall I go?’